As January winds down, we in the fantasy baseball community can start getting excited. The opening of Spring Training camps can’t be far away! That thought probably brings a smile to your face, If so, the Belly Up Fantasy website is a place that you will want to visit often before and during the fantasy season. As it is, there are already two articles available on the site written by me. They can be found here and here. In this fantasy baseball rising starters episode, I will look at pitchers who will soar well over what they accomplished last year.

I will preview four pitchers in the article. Certainly, there are many more that could be discussed. Do you agree or disagree with the selections? Have other players you wish to talk about? Let me know! As always, debate is encouraged. With all of that said, let’s get down to it.

Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals

Leading off, I will discuss Cole Ragans. He is a pitcher that the Royals, baseball fans and the entire fantasy community must become well familiar with. He busted through in 2023 to make 12 starts after being traded by the Rangers. No question, that deal was one of the few mistakes that Texas made during their run to their first World Series title.

Ragan’s record was 7-5 with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. Those final numbers are deceiving, though. He pitched 96 innings, 71.2 which came with the Royals. During that time in KC, Ragans allowed just 50 hits while striking out 89 and walking 27. His ERA (2.64) and WHIP (1.07) were much improved over what he did in Texas (5.92) and (1.37). His other stats, K9, BB9, H9 and HR9 were all much better with the Royals as well. Further, Cole’s ERA+(1.28) and FIP (3.19) are noteworthy.

Ragan’s 28.82 K% ranks up there with the best starters in the game. His 10.46BB% is a bit troubling, but he can get that under control. The best news is in leagues that have both SP and RP positions on the roster, Ragans qualifies at both. If he can be added to a RP spot, his value really goes through the roof.

In any case, look for Ragans to massively increase his value over last season. Clearly, he will not last past the 7th or 8th round in drafts, maybe earlier. He is ranked as the 31st best starter on FantasyPros and 34th on ESPN. Ragans isn’t a secret coming in to the 2024 season, so be prepared to spend some draft capital on him. No worries, though, as we will be well worth the investment.

Bobby Miller, Los Angeles Dodgers

Lost amid all of the Dodgers’ post season moves, those in fantasy baseball shouldn’t make the same mistake with Bobby Miller. Last season when Los Angeles was searching the landscape for starting pitchers, Miller stepped up. In 22 starts, Miller went 11-4. In 124.1 innings, he had a 3.76 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. He struck out 119 batters and walked 32. Miller put together a 116 ERA+ and a 3.51 FIP.

Even as a youngster of just 24, Miller made a huge impact last season. His 23.56 K% and his 6.3 BB% must improve, but he was just learning to pitch in the majors in 2023. With that experience under his belt, expect much better results this season.

Fantasy managers will want to keep an eye on Miller. He shouldn’t wreck draft capital, but that largely depends on who managers are consulting. Currently, he is ranked 24th on FantasyPros, but just 48th on ESPN. I would imagine his value is somewhere in between those two marks.

In any event, he wasn’t on any draft boards entering last season. Clearly, that won’t be the case in 2024. Selecting him is, without question, a wise move on this fantasy baseball rising starters edition.

Grayson Rodriguez, Baltimore Orioles

At the mid point last season, no one could have predicted that Grayson Rodriguez would be included in an edition like this. In fact, he might not get mentioned in any preseason rankings at all. After all, he pitched 45.1 innings in the first half and was, simply stated, awful. He allowed 13 homers, walked 21 and had a grotesque 7.35 ERA.

However, the bad news ends there. Baltimore sent him to the minors and then brought him back up. A light must have went off for Rodriguez. In the second half, he pitched 76 .2 innings, giving up just three homers and posting a 2.58 ERA. In all, he made 23 starts, finishing 7-4 with a 4.35 ERA. He struck out 129 in 122 innings. That stat alone should get anyone’s attention. His 3.93 FIP indicates that there were many things going on outside of his control.

Like Miller, Rodriguez is only 24 years old. Last season was his first time pitching at the Major League level. The Orioles are one of the top organizations in baseball. They won 100 games last season and could be even better in 2024.

Unfortunately, he isn’t under the radar this year, as ESPN has him ranked 25th and FantasyPros 21st. Clearly, he is worthy to be drafted in that area this season.

Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers

When it comes to Tarik Skubal, there are quite a few differing opinions out there, both for and against. What can’t be argued against is that he is a pitcher that managers must be aware of come draft day. A little older than the others listed here at 27, Skubal can draw on more experience than the others. Last season, he made 15 starts and went 7-3 with an excellent 2.80 ERA and 0.90 WHIP.

No question, we are off to an outstanding beginning. However, where Skubal really stands out is in 80.1 innings, he struck out 102 batters while walking 14. Skubal’s 32.90 K% easily blows the other three pitchers on this fantasy baseball rising starters edition away. His 4.52 BB% bests such pitchers as Strider, Cole, Snell and many others. His H9 (6.5), ERA+ (158) and FIP (2.00) are outstanding.

Further, Skubal’s ERA has come down each year he has been in the majors. Without doubt, he needs to blow away his innings high of 149.1 to achieve maximum value. That shouldn’t be an issue with Skubal, though. He isn’t a youngster anymore and Detroit will take the kid gloves off of him. Further, the Tigers will be a much better team in 2024. Skubal and his fantasy managers will both benefit from that.

Most importantly, realize that Skubal isn’t an unknown any longer. He is ranked as the 11th best starting pitcher by FantasyPros and 20th by ESPN. Truthfully, those rankings are a little high to my liking. Even so, there is no disputing that Skubal is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, risers in all of fantasy baseball. What is for certain that any manager wanting Skubal on their fantasy team will have to use mucho capital on him come draft day.

The Last Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy baseball rising starters edition! Do you agree with the selection of Holliday? Do you think it’s another Jackson, Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio? Could it be another player? Let’s talk about it!

The Sports Stove Fantasy Baseball Show will be live every Sunday at 8 pm Eastern from here to the end of the fantasy season, at the least. Don’t miss out! Check out out first episode of the season here.

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